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(No Model.)V .4 Sheets-Sheet l.

P. GHASE.-

l MACHINE POR LASTING BOOTS OR SHOES. NO. 319,784. Patented June 9,1885. A

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. F. CHASE.

MACHINE POR LASTING BOOTS 0R SHOES. No. 319,784. Patented June 9, 11885.

(No Model.)

F. CHASE.

i 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

MACHINE FOR LASTING BOOTS OR SHOES.

PateritedJune 9, 1885.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets- Sheetl 4; P. CHASE.

MACHINE FOR LASTING BOOTS 0R SHOES. No. 319,784. Patented June 9, 1885.

MM2 @www UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK CHASE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES F.

JOHNSON, OF SAME PLACE y MACHINE FOR LASTING BOOTS OR SHOES.

vQBPIEICIIHCl-TION' forming part of Letters Patent No. 319,784, datedJune 9, 1885.

Application filed March 11, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK CHAsE, of Boston, in the State ofMassachusetts, have invented a certain new and Improved Machine forLasting Boots and Shoes, of which the fol- 'lowing` is a specification.

. tion to receive the outer sole may be simultaneously actuated by asingle power mechanism, and still have independency of movement, whichenables them to automatically conform to the shape of the last uponwhich they operate. Theseparts,which immediately hold and stretch theupper, I term wipers7 According to my invention the degree of movementof the individual wipers to stretch the upper is made dependent, notupon their adjustment relative to the power mechanism, to. be varied bythe workman for every different shape of last, but upon the shape of.the last itself and the elasticity ofthe upper.

I am thus enabled to last shoes of different sizes, and either rights orlefts, without specially adjusting the* machine, and to stretch theupper to a uniform tension.

My invention also relates to the clamping devices which hold the last inplace.

In orde-r to clearly describe my invention,I have shown in theaccompanying drawings a method of carrying-it into effect.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan View of a lasting machine embodyingmy invention.` Fig. 2 is a Vertical section of a portion of the same online 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section on line 33 of Fig, 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section on line 4 4 ofFig. 1. Fig. 5 is a plan View enlarged of devices which clampthe heeland last the upper at that point. Fig. 6 is a similar view of deviceswhich operate upon the toe. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the guides whichsupport and direct the toe-clamping devices. Fig 8 is a bottom plan viewof the toe-clamp.

VA is a standard supporting a table-lik frame, A, having a centralopening, around which are arranged the clamping and lasting devices.

A post, B, projects into the openingfrom beiow to serve as a verticalsupport for the last. It is jointed at b b to permit the last to takeits proper position as the clamping devices advance upon it. j

Various forms of clamps for holding the last in position may be usedwith ythe automatic wipers hereinafter described 5 but I prefer theforms shown. f

In the construction illustrated the last is to be held between atwo-part heel-clamp, H'H, and a toe-clamp, T T, lalso made in two parts.Their grasping-faces are provided -with cushions h t,of rubber-or othersuitable material,to prevent injury to the upper and hold the last morefirmly. The clamps H and T slide in suitable ways, a, (see Fig. 7,) upontheframe A', and are actuated by right-and-left screws H T,engaging withnuts h t', which latter are seated in recesses in the clamps.

The screws H T may be actuated from a single hand-wheel, C, through themedium of gear-wheels c and shafts c c. Two shafts are used, one uponeach side of the lasting-opening, for a purpose to be described.

In order to more securely hold the last and to fit the narrower heelsand toes of shorter lasts, the two parts of each clamp are arranged toapproach one another laterally as they advance. This is effected bymaking the ways a,upon which the two-part clamps slide, nearer togetherat their inner than at their outer ends, as shown in Fig. 7. The partsof the clamps H Tare provided with correspondingly-1 inclined waysc,which are kept in engagement with the ways a by springs d d d.- Thelatter are arrangedA between the two parts of' the clamps and serve toseparate said parts as they are withdrawn by screws H T'.

To compensate for the decreased vertical thickness at the toeof shorterlasts, I prefer to arrange the toe-clamp to rise as it advances. Thismay be effected by constructing each of the'parts T with a supplementalpor` tion, T, vertically movable relative to part T, but carried therebylongitudinally, as by means of a projection, t. y

The frame A' is also formed with -an inclined plane, D, of 4a suitableangle, upon which, the parts T T rest, and by which they are IOO forcedupward to meet the last as the toecla-mp advances. In this case thecushions twill be carried by the parts T T. The spring d lserves to keepthese parts properly separated a and in their seats in the main portionsT.

The heel and toe clamps are each provided with wipers to assist inholding the work and to last the upper at those points.

E is a horizontal slide arranged to move in suitable ways, e, formed inthe top of theheelclamp,at the middle thereof. It is held in a centralposition between the parts H H by means ofspringsg, seated in the saidparts guiding-ways the forms of arcs of circles concave toward oneanother,they will very eiec't ively operate as they move inward on theirrespective curves to gather in and crimp .to-

. gether the fullness of the upper at the heel.

The slides F F are each provided with pulleys j, and are connected withthe slide Eby means otlinks t'. Oordsor chainsL L,passing around thepulleys f,are conducted by suitableguidepulleys, `1,130 the powermechanism, whereby .Y the cords may be wound up and the slides F Fcaused to advance in their respective paths. The slides are normallyheld retracted by springs G in an obvious manner. The ways or'guides forthe slides may be formed, as shown, by suitably recessing the parts H Hand providing them with covering-plates I prefer to allow the slides toyield upward at their inner ends,that they may more eii'ectually conformto the last. This I eiect by recessing the covering-plates I andinterposing between them and the slides springs ot' the necessarystiii'ness.` Such a spring is shown at l as applied to the slide E. v

The toe-clamp wis provided with slides F F', pulleys f, cords L L, andsprings G G, of simlar construction and operation to the analogous partsjust described in connection with the heel-clamp. For the toe, however,Iprefer to use somewhat different lasting devices. The part E does notslide in the toe-clamp,

i butcarries two pivoted arms, J, adapted to act as wipers, and providedwith slots j, in which work pins carried by the curved slides F F. Astheseslides are drawn inward by the cords,

' the arms J are swept around and gather in and eiTectively last overthefullness of the toeportion of the upper. In connection with thetoe-clamp I mayuse aspring-actuated lever, K,

Y pivoted at lc` to the. part Ff. The edge-oi` the4 upper may beinserted between the inner ends ,of saidlever and part VEand there. heldby `the action of the spring K beneath theouter `end of the lever.

i y AtensionscremK, serves t0 regulate the strength of the spring. By

these devices the upper may be more eicctively stretched along theinstep and front of the shoe.

To insure that the upper conforms closely to the hollow portion ofthelast between the instep and the toe,`I employ a convex twopart presser,M, carried by 'springs M', prefererably attached to the two parts of thetoeclamp. These pressers can yield downward and laterally or outward asthe last is clamped,

` thus drawing the upper toward each side in opposite directions, aswell as pressing it against the last, thus causing it to conform closelyto the top of the latter.

I will now describe the devices whch,when

vthe work has been securely clamped and operated upon by the devicesalready described, act to last the upper along the sides.

N are ways formed onV the frame A at each side of the lasting-opening,and in proximity to and parallel with the shafts xc c', alreadymentioned. To these ways are iitted longitudinal slides O, engaging,through the medium of half-nuts O', held in the slides by screws 0, withscrew-threads upon the shafts c. (See Fig. 2.) I have shown six of theslides uponl each side of the lasting-opening. A description of thoseupon one side will suffice for both. One of the slides, near .the middleof the series, is provided with a half-bearing, O, in-

,side of vthis slide, which, obviously, as the shaft revolves, remainsstationary, the shaft c is providedwith right-hand screw threads, l, 2,and 3, and upon the other side with lefthand threads, 4 and 5, which.threads engage with the half-nuts mentioned. The threads are also o'fdifferent pitch, threads 2 and 5 being twice the pitch of 3 and 4, andthread 1 being three times the pitch. The result of this larrangement isthat i as the shaft c is turned in one direction or the other thedistances between the slides O are all uniformly increasedw ordiminished. These slides are properly arranged at the sides of thelastingopening and between the heel and toe clamps, andas the screws H Tare geared with shafts c c a uniform arrangement relative to thev clampswill be preserved at all times as the clamps advance or retreat, tho'ughgreater or less spaces between the slides will adapt them ,to lasts ofdifferent lengths.

I?. represents blocks pivoted to slides O at p and supporting insuitableways transverse slides R, which latter carry at their inwardAends the wipers W. The wipers arepreferably'mounted upon pivots w, (seeFig. 4,) which are horizontal `and transverse. to the last, so that theymay oscillate in planesparallel with the last and conform automaticallytothe con- -Ilo sides of a series of pull-eys, p', carried by the blocksP, and thence over guide-pulleys back to the windingdrums L L. The drumsare carried by ashaft, Q, which may be actuated by a hand or belt wheel,Q', or equivalent means,

either directly or through the medium of a vcounter-shaft, S, andgear1ng S, as shown, by

ward. -The heel and toe slides or wipers F F 'F' F' are simultaneouslyforced inward by the same cords, the former carrying with them, by

are arranged in a series upon the slides R, andy the'pulleys u in acorresponding series upon suitable brackets or extensions, U' U', of theframe A'. Drums U U" upon the shaft Q serve to take up the cords U Uwhen said shaft is turned backward, the drums L L' by the same motiongivingoffthecordsLL. Thewipersare therefore balanced or held positivelybetween the advancing set of cords and pulleys and the retracti ng set.More friction is encountered in actuating those of the slides R whichare near the middle ofthe series than in moving those at the ends, dueto the greater number of pulleys around which the operating-cords L areobliged to pass to reach the former slides. As a result the end slidesof the series R will be brought up to the last before the others. Thisis not ordinarily objectionable; but in order that the slides may becaused to advance together I have provided them with friction deviceswhereby .those near the ends, which advance more readily, may beretarded. The,V

devices consist of plates s, (see Fig. 4,) which may be forced againstthe blocks P by set- .cord and drum the other iside.

screws s', engaging with the slides R and bearing against the plates s.

vBy an inspection of that one of the cords L L and drums L' L' operateto last one side of the shoe, and the other Where one side of the lastis more concave than theother,

` which is generally the case, as with rights and lefts, or .the upperatone side is more elastic than at the other, it is necessary for thevwipers upon that side to advance farther than those upon the oppositeside. I have therefore devised means by which the lasting mechanisms ofthe two sides ofthe shoe may operate indepcndently of one another, andby which one of saidk mechanisms may come to rest while that upon theopposite side ofthe shoe may continue in operation and advance fartherFig. 4' it win be geen' without yspecial previous adj ustment of themachine. I accomplish this, preferably, by'giving each of the drums L'L' ayielding connection with their Vcommon shaft Q`, whichY enables oneyof them and the wipers which it actuates to be retarded or to come torest, while the other drum and its wipers may continue to operate. Theseyielding connections Aare formed by two spiral springs, V V, each ofwhich is secured at one end to one of the drums and 'at the other end tothe shaft Q, through the medium of la sleeve, V', securedto the shaft bya screw, e. A slight tension is given to the springs, and the drums arethen held against their action by pins Z", inserted inthe drums in thepaths of arms o' of the sleeve.

The cords L L'are passed around the drums in a direction to act againstthe springs.4 Whrn shaft Q is turned and the wipers advanced and theresistance of the upper to the wipers upon either side of the shoevbeconiesygreater than the force of that one of the springs V throughwhich said wipers are actuated, the spring will yield till its tensionbecomes sufficient to overcome the resistance/ofl the upper, andproperly stretch and last it. yIn themeantime the shaft Q continues itsrevolution, and the other spring V independently actuates the wipersand-effects the lasting upon the other side of the shoe. Thus thesprings V Vyield relative to one another', according to theshape of thelast and the elasticity of the upper upon the two sides o f the shoe,till the lasting of both sides is properly effected. 1 Shields or guardsX, carried by supports x, serve to retain the cords L and U upon theirdrums, the latter being grooved, as shown. Guards may be provided withall `of the pulleys to'retaiu the cords in place, if found desirable. vf y .e The engagement of the wipersW with the edges of the upper may beeffected in various ways. I prefer, however, a positive rather' than africtional hold, and since the wipers which I employ adjust themselvesautomaticpoints w', it will be held securely-and may be lasted smoothlyto any desired tension.l vUp on releasing the pressure upon the wipersthey become individually movable, and a small backward movement of eachwiper willordinarily leave sufficient slack in the edge of the upperbetween the points where it is secured to the last and to the wiper topermit it'to be readily unhooked from the poi-nts w. i v l ICO .Otherholding devices may be used with my automatically acting and yieldingwipers, in

,points w', the wipers are made vertically adjustable by a single andconvenient movement ofthe workman. In this action, also, the

l wipers are arranged to automatically' conform 1o the shape of thebottom of the last, so that f' -cachwiper will descend individually thene'c- Q, in suit-able seats.'

f essa-ry distance to reach that portion of the I 5I last above which itis situated. The blocks JP-have been described as pivoted at p to theslides O O. This pivot, which may be cont mon to all of the blocks, isat their outer ends, and beneath their inner ends, and resting on theslides O, are arranged a series of springs, (See Fig. 4.) These springstend to maintain the inner ends ofthe i blocks P, slides R, and wipers Wat a height somewhat above the normal position of the sole of the last.

Y Y are horizontal bars arranged at the side t of and somewhat below thelasting-opening, and

adapted to reciprocate vertically upon bolts rod, Y2. The `rod Y2 isoperated to draw down the bars Y Y Y by a lever, y, having be drawn downupon the bottom of the last a ,footV-treadle, z. By this mechanism thewipers W may, by the foot of the workman,

to `receive the upper, the wipers of the two [sides moving independentlyby virtue of the equalizing-bar Y', and the individual wipers having anindependent though simultaneofus Vmovement through the system of cordsand pulleys Z y y'.

y that this action very efficiently draws up and As soon as the upper isin place'upon the points 'w' and the treadle z allowed to rise the twoseries of springs q will force up the blocks P, slides R, and wipersW.It will be noted stretches the upper over the instep and other portionsof the top and sides of the last before w `its capability for beingsostretched is impaired by the friction resulting from folding its edgejover upon the bottom of the last.v

y The general operation of my invention'is as follows: The last, eithera right or left, or

ot" any ordinary size, with an inner sole and f upper applied thereto inthe usual way, is

'fitted np'on-the post B. By means of the yhand-wheel C the heel and toeclamps are caused to advance and secure the work -in position; The sidewipers are depressed by the the treadle z, and the edge of the upperhooked upon' the points'w. rlhe treadle is released and the side wiperspermitted to be forced up by thc'springs q, stretching and drawing theupper` lsnugly up against the last. The side wipers and heel andtoewipers are then forced inward by means of wheel Q', shaft Q, drums L',cords L, and pulleys p' and r, the individual wipers conformingautomatically to the form of the `lastand the varying elasticity of thediierent portionsV of the upper, until the latter is drawn over andfitted to the last at a uniform and proper tension, when it is secu redbytacks or otherwise. The wipers are then easily disengaged from theupper and retracted by a reverse rotation ot' the wheel Q', through themedium of shaft Q, drums U", cords U, and pulleys r u. The heel and toeclamps are withdrawn by reversing the hand-wheel C and the lasted shoetaken from t-he'post B.

I claim as my inventionl. In a lasting-machine, the combination of alongitudinally-movable sectional clamp for one end of the last, withmechanism, substantially as described, whereby said clamp by and duringits longitudinal movement is caused to simultaneously rise and contractor descend and expand,'according tothe direction of said movement,substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth. l

2. The combination, with the toe-clampand the lasting devices, of thetwopart convex presser M and its vertically and laterally yieldingsupports, as and for the purposes described. 4

3. The combination, with the clamp for one of the .ends of thelast, oflasting and crimp! ing devices. adapted to move in circular con vergingpaths in the plane of the bottom of the last for gathering in thefullness of the upper at the end of the last, lthe side wipers andyielding connections, substantially as decribed, for actuating saiddevices in conjunction with but independently of the side wipers,substantially as described.

4, The Combination, with the clamp for one of the ends of the last, ofthe pivoted lasting and crimping arms J, arranged in the plane of thebottom of the last, the side wipers, and yielding devices, substantiallyas described, for oscillating the arms in said plane to gather and lastthe fullness of the upper at the end of the lastinconjunction withbutindependently of the side wipers, substantially as set forth. i

5. The combination of the wipers and their independent supports pivotedat p, and the equalizing and yielding connections attached to saidsupports for drawing down the Wipers to various distances toautomatically. conform to the bottom of the last and engage with theupper, substantially asset forth.

6.' The combination of the wipers and their independent supports pivotedat p, the equalizing and yielding connections attached to said supportsfor drawing down the wipers to engage with the upper, andv means, sub-IOO stantially as described-as the springs q--for elevating the wipersand stretching the upper, as set forth.

7. The combination of the wipers and their supports pivoted at p,holding devices carried by the wipers for engaging with the upper, andmeans, substantially as described-- as the springs q-for elevating thewipers and stretching the upper vertically, as set forth.

8. The combination of lasting devices or wipers independently movablerelative to one another, a power-wheel or equivalent device common toseveral of said wipers, and 'the yielding devices, substantially asdescribed, for transmitting power from the wheel to the wipers, wherebythe latter may be caused by said wheel to advance upon the last andautomatically conform to the same and to the varying elasticity of theupper without previous adjustment, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination, with the two series of wipers for the two sides ofthe last, of the devices, substantially as described, for actuating eachseries independently of the other series, a power mechanism, andyielding connections between said power mechanism and the said actuatingdevices, whereby the two series of wipers may be actuated from a singlepower mechanism and may still operate independently of one another uponthe two sides of the last, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination, with the sliding wipers and the cords and pulleysfor actuating them, of the adjustable friction devices for retardingthose of the wipers that offer less resistance to the cord,substantially as described. 35

l1. rllhe lasting devices or wipers higher than the bottom of the lastand constructed and arranged to be moved over upon the same, said wipersbeing provided with the sharp projections or hooks w', arranged to pointaway 4o from therlast, and mechanism for actuating the wipers, wherebythe upper may be forced over upon the bottom of the last, and there heldby the said points while being secured, substantially as and for thepurposes de- 45 scribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK CHASE.

Witnesses:

CLARENCE P. WEsToN, JOHN E. ABBOTT.

